The retailers are handpicked, including 5 Green Boxes, puveyors of bunnies, baby heads and other offbeat decor. Eric Peterson

There are 22 underground bus gates at the new transit center. Eric Peterson

There is plenty more development underway in the Union Station neighborhood. Eric Peterson

Feast your eyes on Denver Union Station, at once historic and brand new after a $500 million redevelopment project. The grand opening on July 26 was 100 years after the main building opened in in 1914.

The first Union Station opened in Lower Downtown Denver in May 1881. It lasted 13 years before a fire burned it to the ground.

The second Union Station lasted a little longer -- from 1894 to 1912 -- before crews demolished it to make way for the Beaux-Arts-style structure that opened in 1914.

A century later, the place is looking better than ever, thanks to an ambitious redevelopment project that culminated in its grand opening on Sat. July 26.

Thousands flocked to the grand dame for opening day, and a line for entry into the stunning Great Hall snaked down Wynkoop Street, as the bars and restaurants poured beers and filled plates, and Denver got a first look at its brand-new -- but century-old -- living room in the heart of the city.

But plenty more is yet to come: The long-moribund blocks to the west of the station are alive with construction, and a full-fledged neighborhood -- complete with 2,000 apartments, 100,000 square feet of retail space and 15 acres of plaza and parks -- is quickly coming to life.